Sussex Stride

In the interests of getting back on the horse, I've signed up for another 50. This one's in September, so the odds of the weather being less thoroughly British as last Saturday are probably in my favour. It's the Sussex Stride, and all the LDWA's website tells me is that it starts and finishes at Rottingdean. Which is nice, but not particularly helpful when it comes to recce'ing the route. So, has anyone done it? Is anyone doing it? Know anything about it? Or have experience of the quality of cake I can expect? (Ultrarunning - it's all about the cake.)
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  • It happens every 3 years and its a fantastic route, great cake and loads of other food as well. Somewhere I have a route description but the memories include a punishing climb out of Lewes over a golf course, (don't be tempted to have pint in the real ale pub first) crossing Wiilingdon Hill towards East Dean walking towards the sea with the sun beginning to set - the section along the 7 Sisters to Cuckmere Haven was if anything even better- and care is needed crossing the railway at Southease in the dark. Just enter - you will get a route description in plenty of time if you want to recce - I just turned up on the day.

  • The Midge,

    Thank you, that's brilliant.  Am really looking forward to it.

    (If you happened to lay your hands on the route description and were willing to forward it to me then that would be much appreciated.  Otherwise, yeah, will wing it from buffet table to buffet table on the day!)

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    DF3 - You wouldn't want to be shown up by slow ultra runners right? They are only doing it as they can't post a decent marathon??? image

    Although as it's LDWA you will have lots of comapny as you walk image

  • My wife and I are going to enter this. We did the SDW50 last week so figured this would be a good one - same part of the world and just down the road from us image

  • KhanivoreKhanivore ✭✭✭

    Really sorry if this is a stupid question but is this an ultra run? It seems to be a ramblers type thing - a walk. Would this be suitable as a first foray in to the world of ultra? 

    I've been running a year, have 4 half marathons and a full marathon. Plan to spend between now and September building up my mileage so i can take on longer distances.

  • The website says it is open to runners and walkers but I would love to hear from someone who has run it...

  • I'll be running. Well, I'll be adopting a run/walk/cake-eating strategy. I'm very much viewing it as a dress rehearsal and kit practice for next year's SDW50, without the pressure of the cutoffs.



    So you won't be the only one in lycra going faster than a ramble.



    I did find one blog about it which mentions runners http://www.arctic-mummy.co.uk/tag/sussex-stride/ but information is pretty thin on the ground.
  • Thanks Peronel - at least I can get an idea of the route from that image We live in Seaford so at least that should make navigation easier - that and the fact we will be in before dark (all being well...).

     

    Lets hope for better conditions than the SDW50!

  • I dunno. Decent waterproofs came in today's post. At some point it might be nice to test them!
  • Looking forward to this - anyone else in?

  • It's part of a 3 year challenge if I remember correctly. Each year it's hosted by a different LDWA group. Do all 3 and you get a nice certificate.

    I've done the LDWA South Downs 'Marathon' 28+ miles over similar route. It's tough hill wise. The runners started an hour before the walkers.

    Don't be surprised if you're beaten by some of the walkers. They're mental!

  • oh and it's not meant to be 'competitve'. We went off at about 10ish and finish times were given in hours and minutes. No seconds.

  • Suits me - I don't do competitive. I live in Seaford and it sounds like the route is likely to be over my favourite trails image 

  • Yes it's part of the KSS (Kent, Sussex, Surrey) Triple Challenge Event. Sussex Stride 2013, Surrey Tops 2014 and The White Cliffs Challenge (2012) Kent but I suspect it'll run again in 2015. You can start any year.

  • Tim:  I expect to be overaken by everyone!  Really looking forward to it.

  • This is a great event; I would say significantly hillier than the SDW 50 but much better food (including a full English at the end).

    The route for previous Strides is up on the Sussex LDWA web site under the marshall's walk section; the actual route goes up on 31/08.

    It goes soemthing like this: Longhill School, Woodingdean, Housedean farm, Black Cap, Offham, Lewes, Mount Caburn, Glynde, Firle, Firle Beacon, Alfriston, Jevington, East Dean, Crowlink, Exceat, Littlington, Bishopstone, Norton, Itford Hill, Southease, Pickers Hill farm, Rottingdean, Longhill School.

    Herbifit if you get back in before dark you'll be doing very well...go for it.

    Cheers and see you all there - Raymond

  • Definitely not an event for ramblers, unless of the hardened Alfred Wainwright school of walking. You'll find a mix of walkers, runners and run/walkers (who run the downhills/flats and walk the uphills).

    Navigation is often where people come unstuck on LDWA challenges, though I think the Stride is easier than the Surrey Tops. On that we were overtaken 4 times by the same group of runners who'd evidently overtaken us and then took a wrong turning again and again......

  • I'm quite keen to get past the seven sisters by dark, because the thought of doing them by headtorch scares me.  ("Beware large water hazard" indeed!). Sadly, I think I'm unlikely to manage that.

  • It's not the water hazard, it's the long drop I didn't like. image

  • Weather looks promising, found a head torch in the shed and got some cheap compression socks from Lidl; so that's me sorted. Just need a good nights sleep and a large breakfast.

    Good luck to everybody for Saturday

  • I'm full of baked beans and have four snickers bars.  What could possibly go wrong?

  • wishing you all well.  My missus and I should have been there but an injury got in the way.  We will have to celebrate our 22 wedding anniversary the conventional way!!  image

     

  • Finished.  Splendid fun.  Thoroughly impressed with the LDWA - possibly the most friendly and supportive marshalls on any event I've done.

    There was custard.   I am blown away by the awesomeness of this.

    Unfortunately, my garmin decided to turn itself off, so didn't record about ten miles of course.  If anyone has an accurate trace and could tell me the total elevation gain, then I'd be most grateful.

  • Custard, rice pudding, and bacon butties and being cheered in by clapping at checkpoint 7. What more could one want?

    A superb event, with brilliant volunteers keeping it running smoothly. The low cloud/fog in the evening just added to the navigational challenge.

  • Please tell me I'm not the only one who ended up doing laps of a random field between CP7 and the finish.

  • Oh dear!  Well, we didn't, but we did find navigating as a team of 3 made the last two legs a lot easier. One of the marshalls at CP7 did tell me that people had been arriving at the CP and talking about having lost 30 mins or an hour navigating the section from Norton.

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